St. Paul daily globe., 1887-10-06
A NOTABLE SUIT
In Which a Citizen of st. Paul is
Interested.
SOME QUEER COMBINATIONS.
A Vigorous Attempt to Protect an
Aged Sister From Apparent
Imposition.
Special to the Clone.

1853 from this state and who afterwards
went to st. Paul, and ''grew up' with
the city, is here to fight suit in the
courts. While in st. Paul, Gen. Mayall
with his brother, James III. Mayall, spec
ulated in land and became rich. The
mother of Gen. Mayall died at an
early age and the care of the
younger children devOlved upon the
elder sister, Mary S. Mayall. She de-
voted her whole life to this task, and
finally became dependent upon her
brothers for support. AT one time the
brothers gave their sister $4,000 in
United States bonds, telling her to live
well and enjoy life. Two years ago,
Miss Mayall, who was then sew
enty-seven years old, expressed a
desire to make her home with her
brother in st. Paul, but Gen. Mayall OBJ
iected. He thought that, as he would
be absent from home great deal during
that time, it would be better for her to
remain in Maine. A few months ago
Miss Mayall, having then passed her
seventeenth birthday.
SIGNED AN AGREEMENT.
With Alvin A. Lane, of this city, in
compliance with the terms Of which she
paid to him the sum of 5000 down in
bonds of the United States, he agreeing
to give her a life maintainance. Miss
Mayall, retained of the bonds given her
by her brother, about $4,000, and also
held in her own name, in the town of
Gray and elsewhere, property
to nearly the same value.
The bonds are deposited in the
Portland safe deposit vaults. In July
last, while Gen. Mayall was on visit
to his sisters house i'll Gray, she told
him that she had been induced to make
a will giving all the property to strang-
erS. 1t is claimed that this will was re-
voked without solicitation on the part of
Miss Mayall, in company with her
removed her bonds from the
vault, and the same having been en-
trusted by her to Gen. Mayall, were for
warded, as Gen. Mayall AYERS, at her re-
quest and in her name to st. Paul. This
was the signal for the beginning of the
legal war. The first move was the
filing of petition by her next friend"
in the probate court for Cumberland
county, asking the appointment of a
guardian for Miss Mayall, it being
averred in that petition that the lady
had become insane, and, by reason of
insanity, unable to manage her own
business. This petition was filed on
the very day the bonds were removed
and placed in the hands of Gen. Mayall.
and on the same day, on complaints of
THE ''NEXT FRIEND"
1.-THE mayor and board of aldermen of
Portland made inquiSitiOn and the
same day certified and returned that
they found her to be of unsound
mind. Three days later a
Il; in, InI in, +J,n
judicial court in behalf of Mrs, MayalI,
alleged insane. In this bill it was set
forth that Gen. Mayall had taken and
Secreted the missing bonds and that
they could not be found. a writ of in
junction was issued restraining Gen.
Mayall from dispOsing of the bonds, or
collecting the coupons or from removing
them beyond the Jurisdiction of the
court. An order was also made ordering
Gen. Mayall to deposit the bonds with
the clerk of the court pending litigation.
1t is asserted that Gen. Mayall attempted
to avoid service of the papers. Service
was made upO Miss Mayall in the same
suit. Gen. Mayall was Immediately ar
rested and gave bonds in the sum of
$4,000 for his appearance to answer to
the bill and also to abide the decree of the
court. Appearance having been entered
a petition was filed praying that Gen.
Mayall be adiudged in contempt. The
general in his reply said that the bonds
were sent to his daughter, Abbie L..
Mayall, at st. Paul, by direction of his
sister, then of sound mind, and
that the bonds had not since
been in his possession, but were
deposited in a bank at st. Paul,
in the name of his sister, subject to her
order. Gen. Mayall then gave notice
that he had decided to remove his sister
to st. Paul, where she could be beyond
the danger of being troubled by the
pending proceedings and receive the
care which her feebleness and advanced
age required. The petitioners, how
ever, prayed for
WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS,
which was accordingly issued and a
the body" of the old lady of seventy
nine before the court. Gen. Mayall re-
fused to allow his sister to be removed
from the house, producing certificate
from physician to the effect that her
removal under the circumstances
would probably be fatal. Hav-
ing warmed up to the fight
Gen. Mayall had taken possession of the
family homestead, the deed of which
has stood in his name for two years, so
as to be in his own house when the de-
mand should be made. The next move
was to place keepers in the house, and
a strict watch on it was maintained day
and night. After few days the gem
eral ordered the officers from the house
and from that time onward for about a
month constant watch was kept up by
officers stationed on the public highway,
Gen. Mayall visiting st. Paul in the
meantime. A prolonged hearing was
then had before Judge Peabody, of the
probate, court, during the pending of
which the general gave notice that he
should remove his sister to ST. Paul pre-
cisely as he had originally intended.
IF you claim the property" said
he sail right! but you must fight for 1T.
l shall take care of my sister," Various
witnesses were introduced to show the
hallucinatiOn under which Miss Mayall
is alleged to have labored, the most i'm
portant of these being a fear that
Indians were about to visit and
massacre the inhabitants of Portland.
Judge Peabody decreed Miss Mayall in
sane and appointed Hon. Fred Fox of
this city, her guardian. An appeal will
now be taken, and the whole matter
brought over in the supreme judicial
court. 1t is extremely improbable that
a decision will be reached during the
lifetime of Miss Mayall.
THE OLD LINEN BUSTER.